Weekly Round Ups

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I got my butt kicked this week. It was the last week of the semester, so all of our teachers were cramming in last minute tests and what not. I did something a little out of my comfort zone and ended up entering in a ping pong tournament last minute with a few of my friends! Ha, I lost every game but I ended up having the best time. Maybe it was a mistake entering in the intermediate bracket instead of beginner but... That was on Friday and a whole bunch of us went to dinner in Princeton afterwards. Following dinner we went for hot chocolate and that's when I started to feel pretty crummy. I ended up cutting the party short and drove myself home while trying not to pass out. I got home, crawled into bed and discovered I had a pretty bad fever. I guess all the running around lately has finally caught up with me! It's Sunday now as I'm writing this and I'm feeling a little bit better but still sick. Yesterday was spent watching a lot of Netflix, today was spent finishing my last two college applications that are due tomorrow (!!!). 

Now onto my weekly round ups: 

1. Jess is really making me want to try SoulCycle!

2. I want to travel to Napa Valley in the worst way... this travel guide made me want to go even more!

3. Grace is always my go-to for beauty recommendations.

4. Organizing a home office before & after- this is perfect because we just renovated our home office as well. 

5. This article was so interesting about a lady who won the lottery 8 years ago!

6. I love Lauren Conrad's Friday Favorites... I'm basically giving you 4 extra round ups here. 

7. Desperately want to try making these mini chocolate souffles.

8. This milkshake that Carly made was beyond cute and looked full of sugar... yum!

9. Love the color palette of this packing list. 

10. An adorable ruffled button down.

Thanks for reading! 

-Ashley Ann 

Weekly Round Ups

I am back and better than ever! This week has been amazing in terms of blogging- it feels great to get back into the swing of things. Here are my round ups for the week: 

1. If there’s one thing you look at on this list, watch this hilarious video. 
2. The cutest coverup in one of my favorite new prints!
3. How to style your winter puffer coat. 
4. Really interesting interview with Khloe Kardashian... 
5. Photography 101
6. Love reading about other people’s goals for the year! 
7. Julia’s new dog is so. cute. 
8. Tuckernuck’s perfectly curated “caribbean haven” section… to die for!
9. 8 beauty resolutions for a prettier 2016. 
10. In case you haven't heard… I’m going to the Bahamas!

Thanks for reading! 

-Ashley Ann 

February Bucket List

Every month, I make myself a bucket list of sorts. Things I want to get done, mini resolutions and new things I want to try. Basically, it's like a really fun to-do list! I always have these lists under the notes section in my phone, so I thought why not share them? (Side note: my "notes" app has so many personal things under it! My biggest fear is someone getting into that app and seeing everything. It has my passwords for all my accounts, personal to-do lists, random thoughts.. e.t.c.  I know I've said this before, but Notes is the one app I use every single day. It's so convenient when I quickly need to jot down information and I know I'll always have that information with me.)

I think #7 is going to be the hardest one for me to stick to! I rarely ever wear jewelry aside from my three main pieces: my pearls, rose gold watch, and monogrammed necklace. I have a whole bunch of jewelry that I never use- so, I want to be able to get my money's worth!

Thanks for reading!

-Ashley Ann

Inbox Zero

Something that always weighs on my shoulders is the current state of my email inbox. It sounds like such a first world problem! But the truth is, email is the most reliable and quickest form of formal communication nowadays. I personally love email and use it every single day without fail. It's how I organize my schedule (through google calendar) and how I am able to stay on top of things. The absolute worst thing ever is checking your phone right at the end of the day and seeing 800 emails waiting to be answered. I have to have my inbox at zero every day, or else I truly can't fall asleep. Here are my tips for managing your inbox and making sure every night you too, can hit inbox zero: 

1. Create labels for everything. I have about 100 different labels under my gmail account. In gmail, you can actually prioritize your inbox into 3 different categories: regular, social and promotions. Every email that you get is automatically sorted into one of those three so you don't even have to do the work! As well, I have my own personal labels: work, financial, church, personal, blog, school, e.t.c. Every email of mine gets saved and put into a label so that I can always quickly go back and search through a specific category if I ever need to bring up an old memo. 

2. Make use of the star button. I love the star button for many reasons. One, it acts as my digital to-do list. If an email needs responding to, or some sort of information to be looked up in order to respond, I star it. That way, I know I can come back to it later and it's automatically put in it's own special spot where I know I'll definitely see it. I always check my "starred" label to see if I have any remaining emails, so it's good to put important messages in a place that I know I'll see them! Also, anything with important scheduling information that I don't have time to upload to my calendar, I star as well. As I go down the list and start responding to emails, I "un-star" the email which is synonymous with checking something off your to-do list. Yay for being productive! 

3. Unsubscribe and don't be afraid to spam. I can't tell you how many years I wasted archiving Twitter, Facebook and other various social media emails JUST IN CASE I needed them for something. The truth is, nobody is going to need information on who favorited your tweet July 2013... just saying. I finally used my head and immediately subscribed from all of my social media accounts. I only get notifications from my phone now- emails are unescessary and just add to the inbox stress. My "social" tab is nearly empty with the exception of Goodreads emails, ha. I love their book newsletters! There are a whole bunch of websites that will do the unsubscribing for you if you really don't feel like doing it. 

4. Dedicate a small amount of time to emails every day. Nobody has time to sit around all day and check their email. I like checking once in the morning and once at night- this is the time where I'm actually sitting down and actively responding to emails. I'm not counting the times throughout the day where I check and categorize new emails. Which leads me to...

5. Funnel everything as it comes through. As soon as you get the notification that you have a new email, immediately open the app and scan it over. If it's important, STAR the email and then label it to whatever category it belongs in. If it's able to be deleted or spammed, then do so. You don't need to waste your time with irrelevant emails! Sometimes if I have a long car ride, I'll draft emails on my phone but won't actually send them. I read them over later at my morning or night email checks and make sure there are no spelling errors or if I need to attach any files. You seriously don't want to let your emails build up over time. If you think, oh I'll just read or look over this later, that's not going to happen. It's going to get lost in the next batch of emails that come in! Then you'll end up with a whole load of emails to delete, which makes everything seem 10x harder to get organized. 

6. Choose the right app. I think having the right app for your email does wonders with how you organize it. Personally, the gmail app is the one that works the best for me. It has every feature from the desk top version and makes it easier to organize everything. I don't like the Apple mail app... it confuses me! Gmail is clean cut and simple. However, there's also a ton of other great apps out there that could potentially work for you. 

Hopefully these tips help get you to "inbox zero." The world is a much happier place when everyone's emails are able to be efficient and work as intended- a simpler form of communication! 

Thanks for reading! 

-Ashley Ann 

Winter Skincare

Lately, I've really been struggling with my skin. Not because of breakouts, but because of dryness. A couple of weeks ago, it was actually to the point where my skin was so itchy and tight that it burned like crazy. This is not only inconvenient and painful for me, but it's affecting how I feel on a daily basis. It's taken some major self esteem to be able to walk out the door some days when my skin clearly had red, dry patches all over it. Obviously, I knew I had to make some changes in my daily skincare routine. My skin definitely changes types between seasons. Summer, I'm oily and prone to breakouts. But winter? My skin is splotchy, red, and dry like you can't even believe. I've been testing out some new products and wanted to share what's been working the best with MY skin (this does not mean that it will 100% work for you!). 

Creamy Eye Treatment // Evian Water // Midnight Recovery // Vaseline // Ultra Facial Moisturizer // Ultra Facial Cream // Night A Mins // Oatmeal Mask // Aquaphor 

For moisturizers, I've been alternating between 3. I love the Origins Night a Mins cream to use all over my face for added hydration at night. It smells good (like oranges!), thickens but then sinks into your skin, and does a great job of keeping my whole face hydrated. When I know my face has a lot of dry patches, I go for the Kiehl's ultra hydration moisturizer to help those problem areas. It's intensely hydrating and  targets specific regions of my face. Sometimes I'll even use this for a daytime cream if my skin is particularly bad that day. As for a daily moisturizer, I love the classic Kiehl's daily moisturizer with SPF- which is great because the sun still shines, even in the winter! 

For eye cream, I love my Kiehl's avocado eye cream. It's very hydrating and gentle on the under eye area. I typically have dryness problems underneath my eyes, and this helps keep the issue at bay. However, I do use a prescribed medication when the puffiness is extreme. It's a great winter eye cream that honestly will work for all skin types. 

Lips have been a particular problem this year that I've never really had to deal with before. I have a dry patch right above my upper lip which makes it difficult to wear foundation (the flakiness is basically amplified with makeup over the dry spot). I keep a tiny tub of Vaseline with me at all times and reapply all day. It really has been working wonders when I use it! It immediately hydrated my lips and relieves the redness for a while. I'm not sure what else I can do at this point, except wait it out. I'm using the thickest stuff I can find and its helping momentarily, but not doing anything in the long run. Hopefully I will be able to find a solution for this soon. 

I have some special treatment products that I only use a couple times a week: First Aid Beauty's Oatmeal mask (really soothing quick 10 minute treatment), Kiehl's midnight recovery concentrate (a hydrating night face oil) and Aquaphor (similar to Vaseline, but more catered

towards dry/cracked skin).

Drinking Water- generally, I've been trying to drink a lot more water so that my skin will be hydrated from the inside even if it won't be from the outside. I haven't seen any immediate results yet, but I'm going to try and keep doing it in order to see an outcome (plus it's a resolution of mine to drink more water this year). Unrelated to drinking water but kind of similar, I keep a tiny bottle of Evian water on my beside table. When my face is burning or feels hot, I spray a little all over my face- it immediately feels so refreshing and soothes my skin. You can buy these adorable little bottles at Sephora in the checkout aisle. Or, you could not be a sucker for mini products like me and put regular water in a spray bottle (way simpler and cheaper). 

Thanks for reading! 

-Ashley Ann 

Snapshots

Since I've been missing for quite a while and I'm only just getting back into the swing of things, I thought I would share a bunch of photos from the past few months. Little moments and memories I've shared and experienced!

A beautiful sunset from my backyard in late September

I remember this day being too fun. We went with family friends to the local apple orchard and drank hot apple cider, ate cider donuts, and munched on apples while we picked them! It was the quintessential fall day. 

This was a fall shoot we did that I meant to put on here, but never got around to publishing. I love my blanket scarf from JCrew! 

My best friend and our Dads (switched in this picture!) went to the Eastern State Penitentiary the day after Halloween. Omg, so fun and only a little bit scary. (Wearing: vest // turtleneck // fisherman sweater // leggings // camping socks // bean boots) 

In mid-November, I went on a mission trip to Guatemala. It was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced- I'd like to go into more detail on a separate post. 

I love when my Aunt Lisa comes over because she always braids my hair perfectly. This was on Thanksgiving, post s'mores by the fire. I have to say, Thanksgiving this year was unbelievably fun. The food was better than ever thanks to my Mom and we got to hang out with my cousins all day. It's always a good time when the entire family is able to get together and share memories. 

And literally the day after Thanksgiving, I was already getting into the holiday spirit! 

Skirt // Cable Knit Sweater // Flats (now in loafer form!)

We went into the city in December to see the annual Rockettes Christmas Spectacular! It was great as usual and seeing the tree for the first time was magical. Here's what I'm wearing: 

Skirt // Turtleneck // Riding Boots // Cocoon Coat // Scarf (from Paris) // Cable Hat // Bag // Necklace 

Even though the Rockefeller tree is great, my personal favorite is the Four Seasons tree. Every year. The gold and red theme this year looked absolutely amazing. 

Midnight mass is my favorite one to attend out of all the special holiday services. It's a really beautiful Mass with candles and twinkling lights. Obviously, I had to match the ambiance with a tulle skirt and glittery gold top. 

Emily and I went for matching skirts this year. The question is... who wore it better? ;) I can't get enough of the JCrew cable cambridge sweaters this year. They're so soft and comfortable- perfect for layering button downs underneath. I have the grey, navy and red. 

I obviously wore my favorite tartan pajamas on Christmas morning while we were opening presents! 

Every year, we spend Christmas day at the beach with my family. I got to hang out with my little cousin Tyler, who I haven't seen in forever. I seriously love him so much- he makes me laugh so hard whenever we're together. 

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The day after Christmas called for a long late-morning walk on the beach. It was freezing, but a lot of fun. Max had the best time romping around and chasing seagulls! 

Fairisle Sweater // Jeans // Scarf // Field Jacket // Bean Boots // Camping Socks // Sunglasses (unavailable from JCrew) 

On New Year's Eve, I wore a fun glittery dress that I bought years ago specifically for NYE but never actually wore. It was a last minute party and all of my friends and I got dressed up just for fun! It's always great ringing in the new year looking fabulous. (p.s. I love my new shoes from JCrew Factory!) 

3 things I cannot get enough of? This pink coat, these sunglasses, and this pom pom hat. All 3 are so cute and look great together, or on their own. 

We stuffed Max into one of my old sailing sweatshirts a couple of weeks ago. Emily and I were on the floor laughing to the point of tears. Max honestly didn't know what to do... still laughing just thinking about it. 

For one of my best friends Claire's birthday, I went into the city with her and her family. We all went ice skating in Central Park- my first time skating in 2 years! I could have stayed for hours. It wasn't too crowded, it was pretty warm, and I picked it back up quicker than I thought I would! (only fell once.) 

Right after ice skating, we walked over to Maison du Chocolat (conveniently right next to the Lilly Pulitzer on Madison Ave). It was seriously the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted. I got the milk chocolate flavor, but even that was insanely rich. I could barely finish half of my cup! If I'm not mistaken, I think they actually melt little bars of chocolate into the drink... ugh. So good. 

I got the notification on Facebook last week that it was the 3 year anniversary of bringing Max home from the pet store! Look at this little guy. Boy, he was adorable. Those paws of his were huge from the start! 

Here's grown Max now (this was taken yesterday as he was patiently waiting to go play in the snow while wearing his fuzzy brown coat). I seriously can't with the outfits we put on this dog. We even got him a bean boot collar and matching leash, ha. 

What's under my nightstand currently. I've really been plowing through the books ever since the new year started! I will say it over and over again- I love reading so much. It lets me to escape into another world for an hour or two, and really calms me down after a stressful day.

Hopefully this abundance of photos gave you a pretty good idea of the fun things I've been up to over the past few months.

Thanks for reading! 

-Ashley Ann 

New Years Resolutions

Every year, I always come up with a handful of resolutions but only stick to one or two. Even then, I rarely follow through with them the entire year. But this year I'm really going to try and stick with my resolutions! I've made a shorter list & more manageable goals. So, here are my New Year's Resolutions for 2016:

1. Read a little every night before bed- I've actually been doing really good with this. I've read over 15 new books between November and December! Hopefully this number will only rise as I get more time second semester.

2. Start everything early- I'm the world's biggest procrastinator and I tell myself all the time, "oh I'll start this tomorrow." Well I'm putting an end to it. This year, I'm going to do stuff as it comes up, so that I won't be overwhelmed when things start piling up.

3. Weekly yoga classes- I really want to start weekly yoga classes! There was a brief period last year where I was regularly going to yoga, but I stopped for a multitude of reasons (more like excuses). I'd really like to get back into it, possibly with my sister and a couple of friends!

4. Skincare- I've been neglecting my skin lately, so I want to really try and take better care of it this year. To put it simply, I just have to reestablish my routine.

5. Spend more time with friends- this resolution is the one I want to try and make work the most. Between work, school and extracurriculars, I can't remember the last time I actually had a planned get together with a bunch of my friends, or made plans with someone individual. I really just need to stop staying "no" to trivial obligations and "yes" to social gatherings. I've been putting my social life on the back burner sadly and it's getting a little lonely. Yes, I've been able to get a lot done in terms of my academic and work life, but I think it's time that I relax a little bit and enjoy the last of my high school career! 

**Update: Between the time that I drafted this post and the present, I've actually been sticking to this resolution quite a bit! I've been loving reconnecting with all my friends and getting back into the swing of things (meaning, not an endless pit of homework, work and applications).

6. Try something new every month- my goal for January is skiing! I know how to snowboard but for some reason, I've never picked up a pair of skis in my life. I'm hoping to head up to Mont Tremblant with my family sometime soon so that we can all learn together. If not this month, definitely next! 

Hopefully, I will be able to stick to all these resolutions and not just one or two!

Thanks for reading!

-Ashley Ann

Bahamas Packing List

So. It's been quite a while to say the least. I haven't posted anything new on this blog since late September and I've really been missing it! The main reason for my long term absence was the abundance of college applications that needed to be completed (only have three left, thank goodness). Instead of writing a whole paragraph explaining everything, I'm just going to move on and stick to a regular posting schedule from now on! 

We just booked a trip a couple of days ago to... the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas! I'm beyond excited to go- it's no secret that my family has the worst luck with vacations. Seriously, we booked this exact same trip a couple of years ago and got snowed in. We finally got around to rescheduling (3 years later) and I can't wait to have a nice getaway. We leave February 12th and come back the 15th. The trip is quickly approaching and I'm scrambling to order some warm weather attire! Here are some things that are on my ultimate beach vacation packing list: 

Tassel Earrings // Scallop One-Piece // Elsa Top // Cropped Leggings // Leather Espadrilles // Sun Hat // Pink Pullover // Pink Chiffon Dress // Ray Bans 

Thanks for reading!

-Ashley Ann